2013 Golf: Phil Mickelson Drives To A Two-Shot Lead At Quail Hollow

Ever notice how happy the world is when Phil Mickelson is playing good golf? I’m not sure that even Tiger Woods can whip a crowd into a frenzy quicker than Lefty when he’s playing well. So it was on Friday afternoon at The Wells Fargo Championship when Mickelson started to hit his driver in the fairway, and got his putter working. The 41 time PGA Tour winner fired a -5 under 67 in the second round at Quail Hollow to grab a two-shot lead at the halfway point.

Apr 12, 2013; Augusta, GA, USA; Phil Mickelson walks up to the 7th green during the second round of the 2013 The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Mickelson has had six top ten finishes at Quail Hollow in nine starts including a runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy in 2011, but has never lifted a trophy on Sunday afternoon at the golf course near Charlotte, North Carolina. When he came to town, he said he had been hitting the ball as long and straight as he ever had, but was over swinging until he “tweaked things“.

"“I was getting closed, and I had to hang back and flip it to get it online,” Mickelson explained. “… It was just a fraction off. Opened up to get back square and I was able to rip at it.”“The first 27, 28 holes I have not driven the ball very well which is, most people would say, not surprising,” Mickelson said. “But before I came here, I was driving the ball phenomenal. I really am excited about the way I’ve been hitting it off the tee, and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”"

I’m not sure what he was saying, but it sounds like a lot of technical jargon that means he started hitting the ball straight again, and it was finding the fairway.

The only thing left to do, for Phil was get his putter  going, and he did that right out of the gate, making 14 and 15 foot birdie putts at the first two hole to get his second round going early. He leads the field in Strokes-Gained Putting and is also tied for first in distance of putts made. He has not missed a putt inside 10 feet in 31 attempts. The longest putt Mickelson has made is the 39-footer he drained at the ninth hole on Friday.

The greens at Quail Hollow are in terrible shape due mainly to the un-seasonable cold weather this spring, and are allowing the best players in the world to be more aggressive. They can attack the pin without fear of the ball rolling too far past the hole, and leaving the big knee-knockers coming back.

"“We’re able to take some of the break out without fear of racing it way by,” he reported. “And I’ve made a concerted effort to leave uphill putts which has allowed me to putt even more aggressive and play even less break, and that’s made a big difference in my putting.”“I feel excited about the weekend because I know I’m going to drive it well this weekend,” Mickelson said. “I know that I’ve been hitting it well, even though I haven’t shown you the first 28 holes. And everything else feels pretty good, short game, chipping, putting, irons feel pretty good.”"

If the weather in North Carolina will cooperate over the weekend, The Wells Fargo Championship is setting up to give fans a great finish. The world’s number two, Rory McIlroy looks to have his game back, and is only three shots back in a tournament he won back in 2011. Lee Westwood, Nick Watney, and Lucas Glover are all within striking distance and could all get in the mix if Lefty struggles when action begins on Saturday.

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